Son Trach (Phong Nha) Region – Things to See & Do

Hidden amidst the jungle in Central Vietnam is the most stunning limestone region, complete with massive caves & underground streams. If you are adventure travelers or nature lovers, you will absolutely LOVE this place! Plan to spend at least 3 days here to get a taste of what the area has to offer. The realization that you are just a tiny drop in the proverbial ocean really hits you like a ton of bricks here.

You will find this in the Son Trach Commune in Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province. Please see my previous post on how to get here.

The sky is the limit in terms of what you can do in this region. However, please ensure you have a knowledgeable guide/company take you deeper into the jungle and into caves as there are still unexploded ordnance (UXO) throughout Vietnam.

Depending on how much time you have, mix & match some of the options below to create your own itinerary:

Visit to Hang Son Doong, the World’s Largest Cave
Time: 7 Days/6 Nights
Cost: $3,000 USD (63,300,000 VND) per person

Discovered in 2009, the cave was opened to the public only recently. Currently, they are only allowing 84 tourists to visit the cave per year. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so if you are interested, check for availability as early as you can. Here is an interesting video on how researchers surveyed Hang Son Doong. See the itinerary & details on this tour on the Oxalis Adventure Tours website. For this particular itinerary, they also have 2 UK caving experts who will accompany you on the tour.

Overnight in TuLan Cave or Hang En Cave
Time: Tour Options available from 2-4 Days/1-3 Nights
Cost: $225-475 USD (4,700,000-10,000,000 VND) per person

This is a unique opportunity to trek through jungle, swim through caves & sleep under the stars. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to stay overnight in the caves, but we bumped into a group on their way out and they had rave reviews. A few of the trekkers said it was the best sleep they’ve had in a VERY long time! Check out the Oxalis website for exact itineraries and pricing. They have options for 1-4 Day Tours for TuLan Cave, and a 2 Day Tour for Hang En Cave.

Visit Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park
Time: 0.5-1 Day
Cost: 40,000-1,200,000 VND per person

Join a tour or go it alone, it’s up to you. If you have limited time, ride in by motorbike and visit Dark Cave. For Phong Nha Cave, it will take a bit of organizational work to gather enough people to split the cost of the boat. If you have a full day, you may want to join the Farmstay National Park Tour and all logistics will be taken care of for you.

Day Trip to Paradise Cave
Time: 0.5-1 Day
Cost: 120,000-2,650,000 VND per person

Technically, you can see Paradise Cave while visiting the National Park, but you can only access the first 1km without a guide. If you want to go deeper into the cave, you can join a tour that will take you 3.5 km into the cave, well past the manmade paths and lights.

Mountain Bike through the Countryside
Time: 3-4 Hours
Cost: Bike Rental (Check with where you are staying to see if they offer free bike rentals. Farmstay offers bikes for 20,000 VND per hour)

Grab a map of the area and spend the morning or afternoon riding through the countryside. Relax at the ‘Pub with Cold Beer’, or catch/kill/cook your own chicken with the ‘Chicken Lady’. You also can’t miss the ‘Wild Boar Farm’.